Taking a dog along for a run when one is riding a bicycle can be a delightful experience,.for both the dog and the bicyclist. To enhance this experience, the prior art offers a variety of dog leashes; but problems with these devices—related to the comfort and safety of both the rider and the dog—abound. Keeping the dog at a safe :distance from the bicycle is one such problem. Another is keeping a large animal under control and the bicycle stable if the pet exhibits erratic behavior or lunges away from the bicycle. Moreover, with these earlier devices, the dog cannot run in view beside the bicycle rider and then trail behind, as needed, to maneuver past obstacles, such as those which arise when the path narrows. Rather the dog is kept behind the rider, out of his peripheral view, at all times. Further, most of these devices do not have any force limiting feature to protect the animal and rider. An exception is a leash sold by Springer which includes a breakaway plastic link. Not only must this link be replaced each time it is used but also its use releases the animal instead of holding him safely in check.
In addition to lending themselves to problems stemming from the dog's running position and occasional erratic behavior, the prior art devices are time-consuming to install. Some of them require wheel removal and glue. Others are mounted high on the bicycle frame interfering with the rider's ability to pedal and making the bicycle less stable. Still others utilize mounting structures which are not compatible with all bicycle frames.